Count It Down
by SkyGem
Summary: In a world where humans are born with timers counting down to the moment they meet their soulmates, Sawada Tsunayoshi is an anomaly. Born with a whopping seven timers on his right arm, one of which has been zeroed since he was born, his childhood is far from normal, and sometimes he can't help but wonder if it's worth all the trouble. Soulmates AU. Platonic All27.
1. Newborn

Sawada Nana knows there is something wrong with her baby when she hears his first gasp of breath.

She knows it as she hears his first wails piercing through the air.

And she knows it as the other occupants of the room breathe in gasps of shock and awe.

She's feeling light-headed, but she looks around, searching out her son. She _needs_ to see him.

There's too much going on though, and she can't get a good look at him.

The nurses are rushing this way and that, cleaning out his mouth and nose of mucus and fluids, and giving him his shots.

Some of the nurses are whispering intensely to each other as they work, shooting looks first at Nana, and then at her baby.

But no one will tell Nana what's wrong, and then she's delivering the placenta and they're taking her baby out to weigh him and clean him up.

In the end, one full hour passes before Nana is able to finally hold her son.

And the moment he's in her arms, she can see what's had everyone else absolutely captivated.

His arms are folded up against his body, but she can see dark, writhing smudges all over his right arm.

She takes the tiny appendage in gentle hands and stretches it out.

And all the air is knocked out of her body as her suspicions are confirmed.

She looks up at the doctor, a question on her lips.

"Seven," she replies, her voice full of awe.

Nana looks back down at her baby, at the tufts of soft brown baby hair sticking this way and that, and she feels her heart clench. She doesn't think she's ever been this happy before.

She drops a gentle kiss on his forehead, holding him closer, and looks back down at is right arm.

The numbers are still too tiny to make out, but she can see that they've already started to count down.

But then, her eye catches on the topmost one, right in the crook of his elbow.

The numbers aren't moving, and despite how small they are, it isn't that hard to make out a neat little line of perfect zeroes.

And suddenly, she feels all the joy sucked right out of her and replaced with cold, hard dread.

She looks up at the doctor, tears already gathering in her eyes, and the older woman shakes her head sympathetically.

Nana can't keep back the sobs then, her heart breaking for her little baby - her little baby who should have been so blessed, her little baby with a heart big enough to hold seven soulmates.

"You shouldn't lose hope yet," says the doctor, her voice soft as she sits on the edge of Nana's bed. "There's still a chance his timer will start up later in life, once he gets older."

Nana hiccoughs once more, then nods, forcing herself to think positively. It isn't unheard of for a child born with a zeroed timer to to wake up one day and find that it had started up over night.

This usually happens within the first five or so years of life, but there have been stories of thirty-year-olds who'd had zeroed timers all their life looking down one day and seeing that their timer had started counting down while they hadn't been paying attention.

But there were even more stories of children with zeroed timers going their whole lives without ever meeting a soulmate.

The most popular theory is that these children's soulmates had died before they'd been born.

Nana refuses to believe that her baby is doomed to such a fate.

Of course there are many zero-born people who grow up to lead happy lives, but Nana knows, first hand, what it's like to be separated from the one she loves for any period of time, and she had always hoped that her baby wouldn't have to know that pain.

She wipes her tears away and looks down at the child, who's been sleeping all this time.

She looks at his other numbers, and her lips curl into a smile. At least he has six others to help make up for his one zero.

Multiple timer babies are quite rare, and even then, they usually have only two or three timers.

As far as Nana knows, there have only been two other cases in recorded history where a child was born with seven timers.

And there was even one case where a girl was born with nine. But that had all been centuries ago.

Her little baby is, quite possibly, the only living person with seven timers.

* * *

SkyGem: That's it for this chapter! I've been wanting to do this particular soulmate AU for quite a while now, but it took me forever to actually figure out how it would work with Tsuna and his band of misfits. But now I have a plan in mind, and with school starting soon and me having a more regular schedule, I'm hoping it'll mean I get more updates out. I'll be exploring the timers more in future chapters, and the effects they have on Tsuna's life. So please do leave a review and let me know what you thought! Whose timer do you think the zeroes could be? Is there anything in particular you want to learn about this world? Let me know!


	2. Age Six

SkyGem: Wow, I'm surprised at how popular this fic is. Since y'all are such good readers, here's chapter 2, as a present for you guys! It was quite interesting seeing your guesses as to who the zeroed timer is for, though I'm sorry to say you guys won't be finding out any time soon. Because I'm evil like that.

* * *

Tsuna is six years old when he gets his first widow-band.

It's a month until his first day of school, and while his mother is out picking up some back-to-school supplies, he and his uncle Reborn are running a special errand.

The shop they go to is a tiny one, but Tsuna immediately falls in love with it.

Because everywhere he looks, there are bright bands of cloth on display.

"What are they?" asks Tsuna, holding Reborn's arm for support as he gets up on his tippy toes to get a closer look at one in particular that has caught his attention.

Reborn picks him up (which isn't a hard feat, considering Tsuna is tiny, even at age six) and balances him on his hip so that the child can marvel at the soft orange cloth that had caught his attention. It has colorful orange and black and white koi fish on it, and Tsuna really really really wants it despite not knowing what, exactly, it is.

"They're armbands," Reborn answers. "For when your timer zeros. People wear them for lots of different reasons. Some people wear them to let others know what kind of relationship they have with their soulmates."

"What kind?" asks Tsuna, confused.

"That's right," replies Reborn. "Most soulmates love each other like your mother and father love each other. But some soulmates love each other like a brother loves a sister. Or how a child loves a parent."

Tsuna's mouth drops into a little 'o' shape, and he thinks he understands. "Like how I love you?" he asks, trying to clarify.

He's surprised when Reborn's eyes widen, and he stares wordlessly for a few moments, making Tsuna think that he has, perhaps, said the wrong thing.

But then his tutor's lips curl into a smile, and he ruffles Tsuna's hair.

"Exactly."

And as they walk towards the counter, Tsuna still balanced on Reborn's hip, the older male continues explaining other reasons people might wear the armbands – as fashion accessories, or sometimes even as a way to keep track of which timer belongs to which soulmate, for those like Tsuna, who have more than one timer.

Tsuna is absolutely fascinated by the explanation, and when they are greeted by the woman behind the counter, he turns his attention to her reluctantly.

"We're here for a widow-band," Reborn says to her, and immediately, her bright smile is replaced by a much more somber look.

"Of course," the lady replies. "They're in the back left corner. If you could tell me your measurements, sir, I'm sure I can-"

But before she's even had a chance to finish, Reborn is already shaking his head.

"It's not for me," he says, and the woman stares at him, uncomprehendingly, for a moment before turning wide, horrified eyes on Tsuna.

She stares at him for a full minute before an awkward smile crosses her face.

"And what might your name be, little man?" she asks, trying to be friendly.

"I'm Tsu-kun," he replies, bowing slightly. Then, he holds his arm out to her, the belly of his forearm facing upwards, and states proudly, "I have _**seven**_ timers!"

The lady looks startled at this, studying his arm with an expression as if she doesn't quite believe what she's seeing.

"That's quite a lot," she says after a moment of shocked speechlessness, and Tsuna grins wide at her.

"You know, Reborn says I'm lucky because I have so many timers, and they're all really short! And my kaa-san said that she didn't even get to meet my tou-san until she was twenty-three. But Reborn says I'm going to meet my first one in a few years!"

Her smile turns more genuine now, and she replies, "That's right. A lot of people don't meet their soulmates until they're in their twenties or thirties. Sometimes even their forties. But it looks like you're going to have them all by the time you're sixteen."

Tsuna starts to nod, then stops himself, suddenly turning really quiet.

"Not all of them..." he says quietly, looking down at the row of neat little zeros up near his elbow.

The lady looks too, suddenly remembering why the boy is here, and feels her heart break for the child.

He should have been so blessed. He obviously has a big heart. But all that joy will be forever tainted by that zeroed timer.

She doesn't get many zeroed children in her shop, and of the ones she does get, most of them are there for the happiest of reasons.

The few that come for reasons like Tsu-kun's always break her heart though, and they're the ones she remembers most vividly. Even now, she knows she'll never forget little Tsu-kun.

Tsu-kun who is equally as curses as he is blessed.

And so, not knowing what else to say, she simply asks for his arm, so that she can take his measurements and see if she can find a band that will fit him.

And when they're leaving about fifteen minutes later, with Tsuna outfitted with a brand new, black silk band sitting snug on his forearm right above the zeroed timer, she hesitates for a moment before calling out to the child and his guardian.

"I look forward to seeing you again, Tsu-kun. And hopefully next time, it'll be for a happier reason," she says.

Tsuna smiles brightly back at her, and waves her goodbye.

* * *

SkyGem: Well, that's it for this chapter! One reviewer had asked what the attitude is towards timers in this verse, and I thought it was a really interesting question, so that's where this chapter came from! I know y'all probably have lots of questions about Reborn too, but I promise, all those will be answered in the next chapter! So please do leave a review and let me know what you thought! And if you have any questions about what you want to see in this world in later chapters, lemme know!


	3. Age Seven

Sawada Tsunayoshi is seven years old when he meets his first soul mate.

The mood in his home that morning is one of anticipation.

His mother is being extra nice to him, having cooked his favourite breakfast (chocolate chip pancakes, which she hardly ever makes because she claims she isn't good at making western food).

Even Reborn seems to be more upbeat than usual, though it's hard to tell.

Reborn has been living with them for as long as Tsuna can remember, and is more of a father figure to Tsuna than his real dad, who only visits once or twice a year, maximum, and whom Tsuna hasn't seen in a long time now.

Reborn is such a normal part of Tsuna's daily life that when Tsuna had first started school, he had been surprised to find that not all little kids have live-in tutors.

Other kids find it kind of weird, though Tsuna thinks they must just be jealous that they don't have anyone like Reborn.

Anyways, despite the fact that Tsuna has known Reborn all his life, it's still pretty difficult to read his emotions most of the time.

Though Tsuna is sure that Reborn is happy this morning, because he's actually smiling during breakfast – it's not much, just a slight upwards tilt of his lips, but that's Reborn's equivalent of a huge grin.

And when Tsuna sits down, Reborn ruffles his hair affectionately, and asks, "Excited for today, Tsuna?"

"Mmhm!" Tsuna hums, his mouth already stuffed full of pancakes, a drop of syrup dribbling down his chin.

"Oh! Careful, Tsu-kun!" says Nana, quickly wiping the syrup off with a slightly damp tea towel. "Don't want to be all sticky and messy when you meet your soul mate, hm? You want to make a good first impression!"

Tsuna's eyes narrow in confusion, and he turns to look at Reborn.

"What's a em-pre-sshun?" he asks.

Reborn, who's already gone back to reading his newspaper, doesn't even look up when replying.

"Impression," he corrects. "It means that if you're sticky and messy when you first meet your soul mate, they might think you're always a sticky and messy boy, and it might take longer for them to like you."

"Oh!" says Tsuna, his eyes widening as he understands. This has become something of a routine for the two of them since Tsuna started school the previous year. Whenever he comes across a word or phrase he doesn't understand, he'll go to Reborn and ask him what it means. This happens approximately three times a day (or sometimes more).

Most adults would have lost their patience after the first week, but because of Reborn's line of work, he has an infinite amount of patience for things he deems worthy. And his student having a wide vocabulary is definitely worth the minor annoyance these questions cause. Even if Tsuna sometimes repeats words he is supposed to have learnt in the past.

After that little exchange, Tsuna is extra careful to not get his clothes messy, and as soon as he's done eating, he makes a beeline to the bathroom to wash his face and hands.

And then he's out the door, almost before Nana can give him his goodbye kiss.

It's the third day of Tsuna's second year of elementary school, and with Reborn's help, he's found out that his timer is going to zero about five minutes into his first class of the day.

His mother's words still fresh in his mind, Tsuna is extra careful on his way to school, making sure he doesn't trip and get dust all over the nice clothes his mother has picked out for him.

Walking at almost half his usual pace, Tsuna finally reaches the front gates of the elementary school, and looks down at his timer.

00:00:00:00:05:21

Class is starting in ten seconds, and he knows he's going to be late, so he picks up his pace a little.

00:00:00:00:02:41

He reaches class two and a half minutes late, and is surprised to see the teacher isn't there.

The students are whispering amongst themselves, and once or twice, as he walks to his seat, Tsuna hears the words _"transfer student"_.

Tsuna's stomach is full of nervous butterflies as his brain makes the connection.

00:00:00:00:01:11

Finally, the teacher comes in, calling for the class to quiet down, and Tsuna's heart is galloping in his chest as he watches a boy walk in after her.

He has large, intelligent, grey-green eyes and his face doesn't look entirely Japanese.

His hair is a pretty silver, combed neatly into place, and he's wearing black shorts and a blue t-shirt with cute little cartoon beakers and test tubes on it.

He looks very smart, and for a second Tsuna feels a little intimidated, shrinking back into his seat.

00:00:00:00:00:59

The teacher introduces the kid as Gokudera Hayato, and asks him to tell the class about himself.

But he doesn't say anything.

His eyes are roving over the class, looking for something.

Looking for _someone_.

00:00:00:00:00:27

His eyes meet Tsuna's, and Tsuna holds his gaze.

"Gokudera-kun?" asks the teacher, looking back and forth between Tsuna and Gokudera.

Gokudera starts forward, his eyes wide and full of awe as he catches sight of Tsuna's bare right arm, staring at all the countdowns there.

00:00:00:00:00:14

Then his eyes catch and hold on the countdown just inside Tsuna's wrist, and he seems to stop breathing.

00:00:00:00:00:09

And then, he's standing in front of Tsuna's desk, and their eyes meet.

Tsuna holds out his arm.

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi," he says, smiling a dimpled smile.

00:00:00:00:00:00

* * *

SkyGem: That's it for this chapter! Please review and let me know what you thought! I was actually originally going to have Tsuna meet Yamamoto first, considering they live in the same town, and are the same age, but at the last minute, Gokudera barged his way into the story and declared that he would be the first to stand at his Juudaime's side. Such a stubborn little guy, honestly. For those confused, the numbers on the countdown go Years:Months:Days:Hours:Minutes:Seconds.


	4. Age Eight

At eight years old, Tsuna and Hayato are attached at the hip.

Before their fateful meeting on Hayato's first day of school at Namimori Elementary, neither boy had had much luck with other kids their age.

Hayato, whose entire family consisted only of his struggling single mother, had worn his fierce glares like an armor around his sensitive soul, and used biting words as weapons to escape the taunting of his peers.

And Tsuna, with his too bright personality and his too big heart with enough room for seven people, had been too different, too _good_ , and had been ostracized for it.

But the moment the two had met, it was like two puzzle pieces fitting snugly into place.

They walk to and from school together, sitting next to each other in classes they share, and meeting up in between classes they don't. They play their own games during recess, not caring (or even noticing) when their classmates steer clear of them.

And on every Friday, they have a sleepover, alternating between each other's home's each week.

On this particular week, it's Lavina's turn to play host.

She's at the school at 3 o'clock, on the dot, to pick them up and as soon as her eyes land on the two boys, her lips blossom into a wide smile.

Tsuna is the first to notice her, running up to her and yelling at the top of his lungs, "Obaa-saaaaan!"

Hayato is right behind him, and Lavina has to steel herself so she isn't knocked off her feet by the two young boys.

"It's good to see you both," she says, first planting a kiss on Hayato's forehead, then on Tsuna's.  
"Did you have a good day?"

"We did!" Hayato answers enthusiastically, and he and Tsuna take turns telling her about what they had learned, and what games they had played together.

Lavina listens attentively as they spin their words into stories, greatly exaggerating everything and waving their arms this way and that as they try to illustrate what they're saying.

Tsuna is the louder of the two, always so cheerful and outgoing.

Hayato, on the other hand, is watchful and much more reserved with his affections. But he is _so much happier_ than Lavina has ever seen him, and every time she thinks about it, a flood of relief sweeps through her. She'd always been so worried about her baby boy, who'd found it so difficult to make friends.

He's still not too great at socializing, but he has someone who understands him, and for now, that's enough.

Tsuna's still chattering now, talking about something that had happened on the playground during recess, but his eyebrows are drawn into a frown, and he looks a bit annoyed.

"-and you know, I was feeling sad because of my zeroed timer, and this kid from class 2 told me I was being selfish because I still have six others."

Lavina's brows furrow in worry when she hears this.

"Have other people asked you this before?" she asks him.

Tsuna nods.

"All the time," he replies. "They say that I already have six soulmates so I'm not allowed to be upset that I was born with one of them as a zero."

"That's a really stupid thing to say," replies Hayato, gnashing his teeth, his expression furious. "It's like going up to someone whose brother just died and telling them they're not allowed to be sad about it because they still have other brothers and sisters."

Lavina nods, patting her son on the head.

"I'm glad you understand," she says.

By now, they've arrived at her house, so she digs around in her purse to find her keys while the two boys continue updating her about their day.

"Haya-kun got _reallly_ mad at that boy after he said that," Tsuna tells him, giggling behind his hands. "He almost punched him, but then the teacher came over and stopped him and I had to remind Haya-kun that if he hits people the principal will call you, Lavina-baa-chan, and then he stopped."

Opening the door and letting the two kids run inside, Lavina rolls her eyes and huffs in exasperation.

"It's a good thing you were there to stop him, Tsu-kun," she says. "You're such a responsible young man!"

Tsuna giggles again, then sits down in the foyer to take his shoes off and put on some indoor slippers.

Hayato has already slipped shoes off and is in the process of tugging off his Soul band.

On the very same day Tsuna and Hayato had met each other, they'd both dragged their mothers shopping to pick out their Soul bands together.

Tsuna had taken them to the shop he'd gone to with his uncle Reborn, and had headed straight for the little band with the colourful koi fish that had caught his attention on that first trip.

Hayato had fallen completely in love with it and chosen it for himself. After that, they had found a white band with bright red rockets and fire engines and other things that little kids liked for Tsuna to wear.

Both boys adore their Soul Bands, but prefer to take them off as soon as they get home.

Smiling exasperatedly at their impatience , Lavina takes all three of the armbands to put them away, so they don't get lost.

But as Tsuna holds out his arm so that she can take them, she feels her breath catch in her throat.

"Tsu-kun, honey, can I get a look at your arm?" she asks, her voice sounding faint even to her own ears.

Worried at his surrogate aunt's sudden shift in mood, Tsuna lifts his arm to see what's bothering her, and that's when all three of them see it.

There's a neat little line of zeroes, just on the inside of his wrist, that belong to Hayato, and all up his arm, the other countdowns are as they've ever been, ticking slowly closer to those fated encounters.

But one of them is different.

The countdown sitting in the crook of Tsuna's elbow, the one that has been static from the very moment he'd been born...

"It's started…" whispered Hayato, his voice quiet as a breath.

08:03:11:17:46:03


End file.
